There will be a fundraiser on Oct. 2 at 5pm for longtime South Lake Tahoe resident Vinnie Contaxis.

He suffered an acute stroke a little more than a week ago. He is at Renown Medical Center in Reno.

The fundraiser is at Classic Cue, 1961 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe. Donation of $15 includes free pool.

An account has also been set up for the family at U.S. Bank.

The California Tahoe Conservancy needs clean pine needles to help complete a restoration project along the Bijou Meadow.

To contribute to the restoration efforts, the Conservancy will accept bags of clean pine needles for a four-day period at the former drive-in movie theater site, located at 1340 Glenwood Way in South Lake Tahoe.

Drop-offs are welcome Sept. 24-27 between 8am–5:30pm.

The site will be staffed to assist people with unloading. Pine needles must be free of pine cones, trash, lawn clippings, and pet waste in order to facilitate restoration activities.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department is warning people of a scam to access retiree’s financial information.

A person falsely presents himself as a representative from the local gas company and offers to set up an appointment to review the customer’s financial records. The representative claims they can lower the gas bill if they can review the financial documents.

The public should know Southwest Gas will never send anyone out to review personal financial information. Anyone receiving a phone call of this nature should not give any information. They should contact the police department.

If someone arrives at your residence asking for personal information, call the police immediately at (530) 542.6100.

South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce is involved in two Halloween events.

Treat Street returns to the Pine Cone Acre Motel, 735 Emerald Bay Road, in South Lake Tahoe on Oct. 31.

The 5-8pm is free and open to the public. It is designed to give kids a safe place to get candy.

For more information, call Danny Freemon at (530) 541.0375.

The other event — also on Oct. 31 — is the Halloween Cove at Timber Cove Lodge, 3411 Lake Tahoe Blvd. in South Tahoe.

The event is from 4-8pm and is open to the public.

Bob Dog Pizza in Meyers is hosting a fundraiser for Tahoe Valley Elementary School.

Twenty percent of all proceeds on Sept. 20 from 11am-9pm will go to the school. This includes dine-in, pick up, and delivery. Just mention Tahoe Valley at the time of order.

Bob Dog is at 3141 Highway 50, Ste. C2, Meyers. The number is (530) 577.2364.

• Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care is rehabbing the five cubs in this photo. The South Shore animal facility has three webcams for the bears that may be accessed via the website and then hitting the webcam icon at the top right of the page.

• A State of the South Shore Economy Forum is being put on Oct. 29 from 6-8pm at Embassy Suites in South Lake Tahoe. (Cocktails from 5-6pm.) This is partnership with Tahoe Prosperity Center, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority and Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce.

• The Placer County Board of Supervisors is expected to adopt the 2012-13 budget Sept. 25. The county’s proposed $730.2 million final budget is $19 million or 2.5 percent less than the final 2011-12 budget.

• Burger Lounge on Emerald Bay Road is closing Sept. 30 because the property owners did not want to renew the lease.

• Tahoe City is having a vision workshop Sept. 27 from 6-8pm at Granlibakken. Click on the flyer for more details.

Barton Health and family nurse practitioner Patience Wenck are hosting a free community wellness lecture Oct. 3.

The topics include general breast and women’s health information, when to get a mammogram, the effectiveness of self breast exams and a test called the Halo Pap Test.

The talk is from 6-7pm at Kahle Community Center in Stateline.

Call (530) 543.5537 for more information.

Congratulations to “Kathy” for winning the two tickets to Saturday’s San Francisco Giants game.

She wrote, “Hi, I would love to see the game, As I am a California Resident, My father was going to take me to a Game ,but got sick, and passes away, I never went and would love to see a real live game in person, as I never had the chance to see one in person, I would be so thrilled, its one thing that is on my bucket list, Thank you.”

We are sure your dad will be with you in spirit.

Dress warm — it’s a 6pm game.

For those who didn’t win, thank you for participating. And if she doesn’t respond to our email, we’ll have to find someone else who really wants to go!

Lake Tahoe News will have some sort of give-away in the future. Everyone who is part of the NEWS Team is in the running for these freebies. All you have to do is fill out the paid subscriber form to be part of the team.

There will be a fundraiser for the Leonard family on Sept. 22 from noon to 3pm at the Flight Deck restaurant at Lake Tahoe Airport.

Requested donation is $10. There will be drawings and a silent auction.

All proceeds will go to the family to help them meet expenses.

For more information, click on the flyer.

Many children in South Lake Tahoe are in need of a special voice. These are children who have been abused or neglected and have not had a voice to speak for their safety and needs.

The South Lake Tahoe office of CASA El Dorado is offering a fall training class for adults interested in becoming a volunteer advocate and a powerful voice in court for children. Classes will begin Oct. 1 and will be each Monday and Wednesday through Oct. 29 from 5:30-8:30pm. Classes are at Lake Tahoe Community College in the Aspen Room.

Each person completing the training is eligible to become a CASA.

CASA volunteers are appointed by a judge and advocate for a child’s best interest in court. Many of these children have been removed from their homes and are placed in foster care. The CASA volunteer is often the only consistent person in their life during a traumatic time, serving as an advocate, a mentor, and a friend.

The CASA program in South Lake Tahoe is serving more than 100 children, but has children waiting. The requirements of a volunteer are: a heart for children and a few hours of time.

Call Amanda Morozumi or Alexis Foley at the CASA office at (530) 573.3072 for more information and to sign up for the fall training.